The Oldtimers
A motley crew of an isolationist militia, a robot, and ghoulified Army remnants, the Oldtimers are a mercenary band and recently made it to Cascadia. Carrying a hatred of the Brotherhood and pre-war convictions, they have been cheated, betrayed and shot at, but have managed to persevere to their destination. History The Oldtimers formed from survivors from two distinct groups; the ghouls of the Immortals, a band of pre-war soldiers fighting to restore order to Boise; and the isolationist paramilitary of Greer's Bunch, a group descended from a national guard unit. The two groups had little to no contact with each other during their existences, but would come together at the Long Pine Trading Post. The Immortals there had been serving as additional protection, but the Bunch survivors came as refugees, fleeing lazers and death. Both bearing grudges against the Brotherhood and coming from military backgrounds, the two groups would bond over the two weeks the refugees could stay. They would both be forced out of the relative safety of the Trading Post after the ghouls' contract ended, leaving them with nowhere to go. The two groups decided to put their heads together before settling on a tentative plan. Captain Pitts, the leader of the Immortals, gave a rousing speech that night about the state of their mission, and the need to withdraw from the city. While a foreign notion to the urbanites of the Bunch, Sergeant Finn, the man who had recommended the treatment of these ghouls as monsters, agreed that it was for the best. The two groups would set off the next morning, heading north out of Boise. They would exit the city two days later, but never stopped moving until the third night after they left the Trading Post. It was then that Finn asked what their next move was. It was silent briefly before Pitts spoke up, saying he intended to continue to Seattle. Several others began to agree and the entire group would agree, with the exception of the Mr. Gutsy the Immortals brought. It was persuaded by the implication of a promotion however, and the robot would eagerly take point. The Oldtimers would take their first contract as mercenaries in the town of Darn's Hope, which was suffering from raider attacks. Having run out of food the day before, they reluctantly agreed. Figuring the easiest way to catch these raiders would be ambush them, the mercenaries stayed for two weeks, finding room and board in several homes. When the raiders showed up from their tribute, they were surprised by gunfire coming from all sides, and were killed with no bloodshed on the Oldtimers' part. The mayor of the town congratulated them, but said that they had ate up most of their profits, and the rest had already been converted into food for them. They would begrudgingly take what food was given and continued on, crossing into Oregon on November 10th, 2283. They continued to trek west, fighting cold winds and territorial tribals the whole time. They would be forced to winter in the ruins of Baker City, fighting off the snow as well as raiders. having little to do in their downtime but drill, they would break out of the city when the snow began to thaw, punching through the raider lines and continuing on their way. They would have to fight two other raider gangs on the freeway, before being forced off by a collapsed span. They continued on the ground and would arrive in Tea, a small trade post in the ruins of an I-84 rest area. Tea was the jumping off point for merchants heading south on 'The Trail' to settlements in the south, or even to supply factions in war-torn Boise. This often brought the attention of tribals, with one warband targeting every caravan coming from the north. Jumping at the supplies offered, the mercs headed off the interstate, splitting up to hunt for the warcamp. They mixed their parties, with General Chase heading the Western group and Finn heading the Eastern. They would come upon it around the same time, finding it built around the pre-war traffic jam that sat on the road. Using walkie-talkies to discuss it, they would fall upon the camp, catching the tribals at a meal and unaware. After the slaughter they took the heads of who looked prominent and returned them to Tea. While a bit more gristly than the merchants were wanting, they honored their deal and gave the Oldtimers the promised bounty. With fresh supplies and parts, the mercs also managed to get hired on to a caravan heading north. They would be attacked their third night out, their camp attacked by wild dogs. At first able to fight them off, the mutants would return an hour later. With a seemingly larger pack, they quickly overpowered the merchants on watch and fell on those sleeping. The Oldtimers had chosen the far side of the wagons as theirs and were able to wake and defend themselves before the dogs got to them. By the time the sun rose the next morning three of the merchants and two of their guards were dead, with the rest all bearing injuries. In addition they had also lost one of the brahmin, and would have to pull the wagon themselves. The mercenaries managed to fare better, though several of them did suffer multiple bites to their legs. When the caravan arrived at their village three days later, the merchants claimed they couldn't afford to pay them for their work. The Oldtimers were disgruntled and started to complain, prompting a impromptu militia to form from villagers. Not wanting a bloodbath Pitts called them his men off with Finn reluctantly agreeing, and they walked away from the town empty handed. Hungry, they continued on the highway, the dreams of faraway Seattle the only thing feeding them some nights. They would catch a break when they spotted a herd of Bleaters crossing the road in front of them. Downing two of the creatures, the mercenaries ate their and packaged some before continuing on the road. Spoting smoke off of an exit, they followed it to a small settlement. Activities & Interests Their original activities revolved around traveling and surviving, often forced to forage as they trekked west. They would also whore themselves to settlements or individuals that could afford payment. Since arriving in Seattle, their time has been spent pursing contracts to improve the city, though sometimes the members' opinions differ on the subject. A popular hobby for the Oldtimers is telling stories together, a holdover from its members from Greer's Bunch. The former Immortals were at first skeptical of this tradition but later decided to join them in telling stories of the past, some going as far back the Reclamation of Anchorage. In doing this, the ghouls formed a greater bond with their comrades and brought them all closer as a group. Category:Mercenaries Category:Groups